Canadian Research & Development Center of Sciences and Cultures
Abstract
In the Ming Dynasty, the China overseas trade management administrations, the shipping goods market departments, declined. However, historical materials show that the shipping goods market department of Guangdong Province had been especially enhanced in the overall decline trend. At present, the academia has not paid enough attention to this phenomenon. Based on the historical materials, a preliminary analysis shows that the chief tax inspector Li Feng was in charge of the taxes of Guangdong Province in the late Wanli period (from September 4, 1573 to August 18, 1620) in the Ming Dynasty, and he forced to change the original power structure of the shipping goods market department. The change of the original power structure was one of key factors which strengthened the shipping goods market department of Guangdong Province. The deeper reason was the change of Guangdong overseas trade situation in the late Ming Dynasty. The change made the shipping goods market department to do corresponding adjustments of its management mechanism
